Author: Fooxy Team

Date: August 18, 2023

For most of us, healthy individuals, breathing does not require conscious thought. It is a physiological action that is controlled by the autonomic nervous system. Breathing rate vary depending on our physical activity; we naturally breathe more or less frequently. However, different conditions can lead to damage and produce inflammation in the lungs and/or airways, making normal breathing challenging. The term Chronic Respiratory Diseases (CRD) describes a group of non-communicable diseases that affect the airways and other lung structures, causing breathing difficulties. CRD encompasses conditions such as asthma, respiratory allergies, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), interstitial lung diseases (ILD), and pulmonary hypertension (PH), among others. Patients with CRD may experience episodes of shortness of breath, that may cause hypoxemia, which indicates a low level of oxygen in the blood. Shortness of breath is a highly distressing situation that significantly impairs daily activities and quality of life. In 2017, nearly 545 million people worldwide were living with a CRD, a figure that represented a 39.8% increase since 1990, and is expected to continue growing due to factors such as increased environmental pollution, rising smoking rates in many countries and improved diagnostic capabilities. Patients in advanced stages of CRDs may receive home oxygen therapy, which involves oxygen delivery at home. In some of these patients, oxygen therapy needs to be prescribed for at least 15 hours per day for the rest of their lives. This is referred to as long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT). Moreover, ambulatory oxygen (oxygen delivered during exercise or daily activities), should be considered for patients with chronic hypoxemia who are on LTOT and need to continue treatment outside their homes. The primary goal is to enhance exercise capacity, thereby improving patients’ quality of life, through supplemental oxygen. Supplemental oxygen is currently provided to patients through three different types of equipment: portable cylinders, portable canisters, and portable oxygen concentrators (POC), with the latter being the most popular solution. Supplemental oxygen is defined as the use of therapeutic oxygen administered at concentrations higher than that of ambient air to treat or prevent the effects of hypoxemia. The appropriate amount of supplemental oxygen is typically manually adjusted by specialists, who regulate the oxygen flow until the arterial oxygen saturation (SpO2) falls within an appropriate range, resulting in a prescription of a predetermined fixed flow rate. However, a fixed value may not be necessarily aligned with the patients’ fluctuating oxygen requirements throughout the day, which vary in response to physical activity. Consequently, patients may develop a sedentary lifestyle, known factor that worsens prognosis. Fooxy-Tech has developed an innovative solution with the potential to address this issue. Our hypothesis is that a dynamic, non-fixed approach supplemental oxygen administration can significantly enhance patients’ quality of life. To be effective, we believe this solution must be based on the patient’s real-time oxygen needs, irrespective of location. Furthermore, we advocate for a proactive approach, rather than a reactive one: the solution should estimate and anticipate patient’s oxygen requirements for the near future. This innovative concept of personalized medicine for CRD patients is the core business of Fooxy-Tech, representing the world’s first initiative in this field, supported by EU patent (EP20382872.8 PCT/EP2021/075075) and US patent (USA 17916521). Currently, Fooxy-Tech is in the process of developing and conducting preliminary testing, within clinical settings, for an AI-assisted solution for dynamic ambulatory oxygen administration based on this concept. This development accurately models a patient’s oxygen desaturation in response to exercise and employs intelligent algorithms (dynamically trained and selected), to determine the optimal oxygen supply needed by the patient. Thanks to its proactive nature, the system significantly reduces episodes of shortness of breath, which, in turn should notably improve patients’ quality of life and overall prognosis.